Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are enzymes which are involved in the renewal of extracellular matrix tissue, such as cartilage, tendons and joints. MMPs bring about the destruction of the extracellular matrix tissue, which is compensated for, in a non-pathological physiological state, by its simultaneous regeneration.
Under normal physiological conditions, the activity of these extremely aggressive peptidases is controlled by specialized proteins which inhibit MMPs, such as the tissue-x inhibitors of metalloprotease (TIMPs).
In pathological situations, an irreversible degradation of articular cartilage takes place, as is the case in rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. In these pathologies, the cartilage degradation process predominates, leading to a destruction of the tissue and resulting in a loss of function.
At least twenty different matrix metalloproteases have been identified to date and are subdivided into four groups, the collagenases, the gelatinases, the stromelysins and the membrane-type MMPs (MT-MMPs), respectively.
Matrix metalloprotease-13 (MMP-13) is a collagenase-type MMP which constitutes the predominant collagenase observed during osteoarthritis, in the course of which pathology the chondrocyte directs the destruction of cartilage.
Local equilibrium of the activities of MMPs and TIMPs is critical for the renewal of the extracellular matrix. Modifications of this equilibrium which result in an excess of active MMPs, relative to their inhibitor, induce a pathological destruction of cartilage, which is observed in particular in rheumatoid arthritis and in osteoarthritis.
There is a need in the prior art for novel MMP inhibitors, more particularly for MMP-13 inhibitors, in order to prevent and/or correct the imbalance in the renewal of extracellular matrix tissue, as well as to prevent or treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, periodontal diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, cardiac insufficiency, atherosclerosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPDs), age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and cancer.
MMP-inhibitor compounds are known. Most of these MMP inhibitors are not selective for only one MMP, such as, for example, those which have been described by Montana and Baxter (2000) or by Clark et al. (2000).
There is a need in the prior art for novel inhibitors that are active on matrix metalloprotease-13 in order to enrich the therapeutic arsenal that can be used for treating pathologies associated with the destruction of the extracellular matrix and with cancer.